More Articles

In the interest of good milk production and personal comfort, breastfeeding moms often are
willing to try things that fall outside the usual medical advice.

For example, some women apply cabbage leaves to their breasts to alleviate soreness, or they
take supplements to boost milk supplies. Others sometimes drink beer, thinking it will help bring
more milk.

To get a better handle on popular ideas surrounding breast-feeding, Dr. Jonathan Schaffir
surveyed lactation consultants to see what advice they share with women.

The Ohio State University obstetrician-gynecologist received 124 responses from certified
lactation consultants across the nation.

Most of them had heard of folk remedies, and 65 percent said they had recommended at least one
of the methods to nursing moms.The results recently were published in the journal
Breastfeeding Medicine.

In most cases, there’s little or no evidence of a method’s effectiveness, just anecdotal
support, Schaffir said. That doesn’t mean they’re all bad, but it does mean there should be more
research so that experts can give women advice backed by good evidence, he said.

And women should know that in some cases these methods can be counterproductive or even harmful,
experts say.

Despite the long-held belief that beer is good for nursing mothers, research has shown that
alcohol consumption can reduce milk production, Schaffir said. Furthermore, not everyone agrees
that even a small amount of alcohol is safe for babies of nursing moms.

The plant-based supplement fenugreek can interact with prescription medications, and in some
cases, women are severely allergic, said Patty Nilsen, an outpatient lactation consultant with the
Mount Carmel Health System.

Nilsen said she is always respectful when she hears about remedies but is careful to explain
that they don’t have support of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.

The most-important thing is to help moms by looking into what might have contributed to low milk
production, pain or breast engorgement and try to improve the circumstances, Nilsen said.

She and other lactation consultants stress that frequent feedings or pumpings are the first and
most-important step to increasing milk production. That could mean 12 times every 24 hours, said
Whitney Mirvis, lead lactation consultant at Riverside Methodist Hospital.

Mirvis said she understands why women seek natural remedies, and she has worked with moms who
seem to have had good luck with them.

“But there aren’t good studies showing a statistically significant (benefit) in a large number
of women,” she said. “We don’t know if it’s a placebo effect.”

Some theories about helpful supplements come from the dairy industry, Mirvis said. Farmers have
noticed that cows that graze on certain plants seem to produce more milk.

In the case of cabbage leaves applied to sore breasts, it’s likely that the leaves, when taken
fresh from a refrigerator, simply provide an ideal cold compress, Mirvis said.

She said women should talk with their doctors about supplements they take, and they should keep
an eye on their health, including blood-sugar levels and gastrointestinal problems. Even cabbage
leaves can prompt an allergic reaction, she said.

Mirvis also tells moms that supplements should never be seen as a replacement for frequent
feedings or pumpings, which have been proved to help.